Lincoln Portrait

One of my favorite pieces by one of my favorite conductors, Aaron Copland, is his Lincoln Portrait. My mother used to listen to this on a record often, so I have many of the words committed to memory.

I think of it because Thursday, Nov. 19, is the date in 1863 that Lincoln uttered his famous Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was invited to speak at this ceremony, along with others. Lincoln followed a man named Edward Everett, a famous orator who spoke for 2 hours at this dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Lincoln, on the other hand, uttered just 10 sentences.

Both the narration and the music are beautiful and moving. I invite you to listen to it.